Oceanfront Redevelopment A Bulldozer Fells A Tacky Apartment Building And Makes Way For Another Luxury Home.

April 4, 1991|By NEIL SANTANIELLO, Staff Writer

HIGHLAND BEACH -- Last Saturday, a bulldozer attacked an old apartment building on the beach, plowing a huge hole through the center within minutes.

Just another demolition job? Not exactly. More than 60 townspeople turned out to watch -- and cheer -- the beginning of the end of Third Wind, a two-story apartment building that residents considered one of Highland Beach`s biggest eyesores.

Architect James Drago, who plans to build a $4.5 million ``Palm Beach-style`` home where Third Wind once stood, threw the party for the town.

He said he plans to build a two-story, pink stucco and coral stone estate home with 10,000 square feet of living space, an underground garage, a half- dozen bedrooms and 7 1/2 baths at the site, 4217 South Ocean Boulevard.

Drago is building another oceanfront luxury home next door and plans to sell it for $4 million or more. The home will have a pool with an underwater stereo system and an automatic window cleaning system built into the roof. The latter amenity is needed for the two all-glass, two-story living room walls that face the ocean.

Third Wind, a 10-unit apartment building, always had been the black sheep among Highland Beach properties, town officials said. Offering inexpensive beachfront rental apartments amid high-priced real estate, the building attracted younger people who tended to throw a lot of noisy parties, more than typical Highland Beach residents.

``There were a lot of swingers there,`` said Bob Blake, who lived next to Third Wind. But he said the building also attracted ``a lot of nice families that used to come here on the weekends.``

And, to the credit of building owner James MacKay, he let everyone in town use his property for beach access when other property owners did not, town officials said.

The building`s decor did little to endear it to residents. In a sea of pastel-painted stucco, Third Wind sported a weathered wood exterior that never got painted and kept expanding with add-on apartment units, they said.

Drago said finding oceanfront property to build new homes is ``rare.``

Although there are more expensive homes in the town -- some beachfront digs reportedly are valued at $6 or 7 million -- town officials and residents looked almost giddy at the plans for the dream home to take Third Wind`s place.

``We expect Michael Jackson to buy it,`` joked Cohen.

``It`s going to improve the looks of the area,`` said Highland Beach Mayor Joe Boulay, who attended the demolition with his wife, Dottie.

John Rand, a town commissioner, said, ``I`m ecstatic. It`s one of the few remaining eyesores in this town. We`re happy to see it razed to the ground.``

Not everyone in the demolition party looked so happy.

Said one woman just before the bulldozer took its first swipe: ``A little bit of old Highland Beach is going down the drain.``